Why Not Me: Dancing
by Browncoatsoldier
Summary: Late night conversation, questions, and dancing between River and Kaylee
1. Dancing

Story: Why Not Me Chapter: 1  
Summary: Late night conversation, questions, and dancing between River and Kaylee  
Authors Note: My first Firefly fiction. I'm having trouble personifying River, and Kaylee both. With River, it's this graceful confusion I'm having trouble capturing, and with Kaylee, it's the language, the accent, the jargon. Help Help Help, feedback deeply needed. Hasn't been Beta'd. Don't know someone who could. Anyone volunteering?  
Disclaimer. Joss is Boss. Don't own characters, But I'd sure love to own all the women of the ship.

River and Kaylee sat on the ground in the cargo bay, playing jacks, River winning. Jayne placed his bar on the bench shelves and stood up, nodding to Simon, giving thanks for spotting him.

Simon, shirtless and glistening with sweat walked by and hopped up the stairs towards the infirmary and his bunk.

Kaylee stared after him, watching his torso shine in the light. She turned her attention back to the game as River picked up the ball and eight jacks.

Mentally following her brother through the ship and finding nothing attractive about his body, River handed Kaylee the jacks. "Still?" She asked innocently.

"Still what?" Kaylee's eyes looked puzzled, but her emotions betrayed her.

"Simon still."

Kaylee's eyes went wide. "Your brother Simon? No, not for a long while. You know that."

"I know. I saw your eyes follow."

"No, just wondering where he was going."

"Wondering if he'll come back. If you'll let him come back."

Kaylee blushed.

"Why not me?"

Her blushed dissolved as a puzzled look took her face. "What do you mean, River?"

"Pairing. Inara and Mal, Wash was Zoe's, Kaylee and Simon, Jayne and who knows, Book pretending to be a Shepherd, so no one for him."

She looked Kaylee square in the eyes, causing Kaylee stand up and step back

River continued standing and beginning to dance beautifully and gracefully. "And me alone. I'm of age, you know."

"River, what are yo-"

"You're not much older than I am, I know. Why not me?"

Kaylee finally grasped her meaning. "River, now we just friends.

And I ain't no kinda sly no ways."

River cocked her head to the side, puzzled, thinking. "Sly: Adept in craft or cunning. Lacking or marked by a lack of candor. Playfully mischievous; roguish." She straightened her head and raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't say you were Mal."

Kaylee laughed. "That ain't what sly mean, River."

River nodded. "Yes it does."

Kaylee shook her head. "Well, sur', but i ain't mean that kin'a sly. I meant..." She stood silent for a second trying to figure out how to explain it.

River searched her mind for Kaylee's meaning, for the last time she'd heard the word sly, a while back.

Nandi spoke to Mal. "You're not sly are ya, cuz i got my boys..."

River then comprehended and looked to Kaylee. "Sly: sexually attracted to the same sex."

Kaylee, still deep in thought, nodded slowly. "That's what I's tryna say."

River went back into her dancing. "You've thought of it. Daydreams and night dreams. Of Inara. But she belongs to the Captain, and he to her."

Kaylee's eyes went wide, she became mildly angry. "I weren't, I wasn't, I... You shouldn'tna been peakin in my head, River."

"I can't keep any of them out. Sometimes, I think it's you who's peaking in mine. But that's impossible." She stopped, balancing flawlessly on her right leg, her right, stopped from revolving around her spinning body. "Isn't it?"

Kaylee, who couldn't manage to remove the eternal enpuzzlement from her face, nodded. "You know it is. If anythin, it was a dream."

"If dreams were horses..." River jumped to her left, and spun, hand then left leg touching the floor every 180 degrees.

Kaylee watched her dance, flawless, gracefull, beautiful. Her blue dress spun and rippled around her.

River smiled. "Why thank you." She stopped on both feet and curtsied. She walked forward and grabbed Kaylee's hands. "The teacher and the student."

Pulling Kaylee with her, she danced around the room, spinning as she did so. Fumbling but taking it all in, Kaylee followed, still holding her soft hands. "This is fun!"

River raised her hand and Kaylee spun individually beneath it, then grabbed River's hands again. After dancing for a few minutes, Kaylee grew tired, and lay down on the deck.

River lay beside her, staring directly at the top of the bay. "And now?"

Kaylee gazed to her left, River was barely inches from her face, and turned to face her. She reached over a few inches and grabbed her hand. "Ain't sly, River."

River looked back towards the ceiling of the Bay.

Without speaking, Kaylee kissed her on the cheek. After watching the ceiling for minutes, they both were finally able to sleep.


	2. Butterflies

-1Story: Why Not Me

Chapter: 1

Summary: Waking up the next morning. This one is in Kaylee's POV

Authors Note: My first Firefly fiction. I'm having trouble personifying River, and Kaylee both. With River, it's this graceful confusion I'm having trouble capturing, and with Kaylee, it's the language, the accent, the jargon. Help Help Help, feedback deeply needed. Hasn't been Beta'd. Don't know someone who could. Anyone volunteering?

Disclaimer. Joss is Boss. Don't own characters, But I'd sure love to own all the women of the ship.

Kaylee awoke first, awake, bright-eyed, well rested. She smiled, thinking.

'After sleepin on the deck of the bay?_ Tweren't no blanket, no pilla'. Just River on my side_.

The experience was mildly eerie, but Kaylie was thankful. She propped herself up on her elbows and breathed in deep. It was still quite early in the morning. You could usually hear the conversation from the galley during breakfast wafting throughout the whole ship. Kaylee looked to her left at River, sleeping peacefully.

_'Wonder what't wus made her ask me all them weird questions last night. Never saw 'er lookin' at nobody funny, That kinda funny . Me 'specially. _

Gazing at River while she slept, Kaylee noticed that she was more beautiful when she slept, no confusion, no strange questions, just, angel-like.

Kaylee jumped up quick when River smiled and opened her eyes. River hopped up twice as fast and placed her hand on Kaylee's left cheek, pulling her in for a hungry kiss that remind Kaylee of everything she'd never seen in River. A virginal lust, a hunger, a need.

Mind running wild, Kaylee couldn't break free, she wasn't sure she wanted to.

Jayne came down the stairs, lazy-eyed, heading for his bench. Kaylee didn't notice him and he didn't notice Kaylee till he looked their way by coincidence. He woke up mighty quick. "I'll be in my bunk."

Kaylee broke free from Rivers grasp. "River...!" She looked her in the eye. Suddenly, all the curiousity, confusion, and eeriness left River's eyes, all that was left was...Kaylee didn't know what she was seeing.

River looked at her, pleading with her eyes. "You didn't choose to not kiss me back."

"Ya done caught me off guard." Unable to move, Kaylee stood still.

"For 49.6 seconds, I caught you off guard?" River looked almost angry.

Kaylee nodded. "River, I don't know what else ta tell ya." Kaylee resisted bringing her fingers to her lips. But River felt it all.

"I don't understand. Simon wants you still, you know, if that's what you want..." She was hurt.

"If I knew what I wanted, maybe thingsed be different. But they ain't, and I don't." she shrugged, trying to make it clear to River that she wasn't the only one confused about life.

Kaylee watched as River sat down, Motioning for her to do the same. "I dreamed of you last night."

Kaylee sat, remembering she'd done the same. She listened as River spoke.

"We were butterflies. Different combinations of colors. You were deep reds, browns, yellows. I was light blues and greens, and combinations of the two, with red running through me in places. We both flew around the same flower, bright yellow. You were beautiful."

Kaylee gasped halfway through River's explanation, but waited for her to halt to start speaking. "I had the same dream. "t'was nice. Pretty n' such. Was beautiful." A sudden explanation donned on her. "River, tell me ya didn't...didn't put sumthin' 'n ma head?"

"I wanted you to know. How I think of you. How you make me feel." River lay on her back, Kaylee stayed sitting.

"You make me happy. Serene. Nearly content. You make me feel good."

Kaylee pulled River back up to face her. "Don't none of what you jus' said soun' like ya. This ain't you."

River lay down, pullin her down beside her. "This is me with you. Simon thinks I need drugs and talking and other unpleasant experiences. I need none of it. I can't do it alone, but I can do it with you. I can do this." She stared up at the ceiling of the bay again. Kaylee could swear she was seeing something that wasn't there, with that calm smile on her face.

River grabbed her hand and pointed up. "Do you see it now?"

Kaylee looked up, and it seemed as if she could see all of rivers current feelings about her. For a second, she could see a glimmer of she and River kissing, then she thought she saw the two of them in Kaylee's bunk, making love. then the butterflies again.

"You're my hu die (butterfly). My beautiful hu die."

River stood up, and Kaylee was pulled along with her. A million tiny things rushed through Kaylee's brain.

"Calm, hu die. No need for confusion." Kaylee breathed slowly, calming down.

She shook her head. "No need for confusun', huh, don't know bout that really. I reckon I'm feelin a mite confused right now." She walked towards the stairs.

"Would consumption help, hu die?"

Kaylee stopped and looked back. 'Con-what?"

"Breakfast."

Kaylee nodded and River followed, Dancing and hopping as she went.


	3. Abatross

-1Story: Why Not Me

Chapter: 3

Summary: Waking up the next morning. This one is in Kaylee's POV warning, femme slash pairing

Warnings: female/female pairing.

Authors Note: My first Firefly fiction. I'm having trouble personifying River and Kaylee both. With River, it's this graceful confusion I'm having trouble capturing, and with Kaylee, it's the language, the accent, the jargon. Help Help Help, feedback deeply needed. Hasn't been Beta'd. Don't know someone who could. Anyone volunteering?

Disclaimer. Joss is Boss. Don't own characters, But I'd sure love to own all the women of the ship.

River and Kaylee sat in the galley alone, drinking tea and having a quiet conversation. River had cooked breakfast for Kaylee and the rest of the crew. It wasn't her day, but Kaylee had been hungry. Simon would just be happy he didn't have to.

Mal walked in, rubbing his left hand through his hair, and pressing his right into his back to straighten it. The girls stopped talking.

Kaylee noticed that it looked as if Mal hadn't slept to well, even with the comfortable bunks they all had.

It made Kaylee think again of how great she'd felt all morning. She felt River's gaze on her, and smiled her way, thinking nothing but 'thank you'.

River nodded. "Mornin' Cap'n. You ain't lookin to good, how'd ya sleep?"

Mal grabbed a cup of coffee, it'd been made for him by River when she'd realized he was awake. He gave her a nod and tried to strech his back out again.

"Feelin' a mite twisted. Like I slept all kin'a wrong. It'll fix." he looked in River's direction and smiled. "Mornin' lil' albatross.

She smiled back and took a sip of her tea. Sleepily, Mal waved at the two young women before heading out and towards the bridge.

They continued their conversation when he left.

"Whys't he calls ya lil' albatross all the time?" Kaylee looked to River for an answer.

"Something the Assassin said about me being dangerous. Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. He had his reference wrong, Mal fixed him. So that's what he calls me, I guess it kind of makes sense."

Kaylee looked dumfounded. "Huh?"

River scanned her mind for the reference. "The albatross, known as a good omen before that point, led the mariner and his ship out of the land of ice, the crew praises it, but the mariner shoots it, and the ship is then surrounded by a storm, the crew blames the mariner, the captain. It was then known as a bad omen." She nodded, knowing she had the summary of what she'd been asked.

Kaylee nodded slowly. "He reckons ya good for Serenity, in the account no one hurts ya."

River nodded. "Which is why he almost had to throw Jayne out the hatch."

Jayne froze halfway to the coffee pot on the stove.

"Hey, now girl, I thought we wasn't talkin' bout that ruttin' day. Gorramit! Keep ya trap shut bout that! Like I didn't risk ma life gettin ya secret cross the gorram verse." River shrugged. That much was true.

Kaylee's mind went reeling. "Wen'd the Cap'n almost throw you out the hatch?"

Jayne grabbed his coffee and a handful of food and shook his head, trying to swallow the food already in his mouth. "Ain't talkin about that gorram day. Ain't ruttin' talkin bout' it." He left the room as quickly as possible.

Kaylee looked to River, and River shook her head. "You heard him." She bucked her shoulders up and blew her mouth out, imitating the great man ape. "Ain't ruttin' talkin bout it."

Kaylee laughed.

"River! Language!" Simon had walked into the room and was also drawing off the Coffee River had made for the Captain. "Civilize people don't talk that way. Only man-apes." Simon laughed.

"Hey!" Jayne had come back for more food. "If I was some kin'a gorram ape, I'd of killed ya already."

River nodded at Simon before he left the room. Jayne stuffed his mouth and left as well.

Kaylee looked down into her mug, having noticed it was empty. River handed her her own. Kaylee filled them back up and headed into the lounge. River followed behind her.

Kaylee handed River her mug as she sat down, not to close, and not too far from River.

"Talking time?"

Kaylee nodded. "Talkin time"

River spoke first. She reached for Kaylee's free hand and grabbed it in her own. "Do you need to see it again?" There was no need for physical contact to let her see, but she liked Kaylee's hands. Fairly small like her own, but slightly worn smooth, and soft, River suspected, from the amount of grease she had on her hands daily. Kaylee didn't let go.

"Naw, I don' need ta see nuthin. I reckon ya need ta see mine." She steeled herself, knowing River would, however she did it, be in her mind instantly.

"No need for all that, it's all already in the forefront." River skimmed Kaylee's foremost thoughts, and saw them all in images, her feelings, and her scent were all encorporated.

River watched as the images grew large in front of her. She and Kaylee playing jacks, she and kaylee running around the ship playing tag, she and Kaylee laughing and joking. She understood. She didn't very much understand her own emotions. But she could easily read those of oth- she cut off her thinking process as a image flashed by her. She grabbed it, pulled it closer for examination.

This kiss they'd shared earlier.


End file.
